Tartan tracks at the El Wak Stadium
The Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Dr. Omane Boamah, last week inspected the tartan tracks at the El Wak Sports Stadium near the Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
During the inspection, it came out that the tracks which were laid in 2008 with the anticipated life span of 25 years have deteriorated beyond repairs. The Deputy Minister who was not happy with the development vowed to ensure that those responsible are made to answer for the shoddy work.
The Chronicle agrees with the intended action of the Deputy Minister to serve as deterrent to officials tasked to oversee the execution of government projects in the country. It appears to us that officials tasked to supervise the execution of government contracts, which in most of the cases, cause millions of Ghana cedis to the tax payer, do not care a hoot as to whether the project has properly been executed or not.
In the road sector, for example, most of the projects executed by the so-called contractors deteriorate a few years after the contract has been completed. We need not talk about the construction of school buildings for the first cycle schools dotted across the length and breadth of this country.
Meanwhile, every government project has consultants, who also appoint site engineers to ensure that the right materials, as specified in the contract, have been used. Clearly, there is something wrong somewhere, which is not known to the public, and that is why The Chronicle is throwing its weight behind the Deputy Minister to get to the bottom of the of the issue, and tell Ghanaians what really caused the shoddy work at the El Wak Stadium.
We urge the Minister to specifically find out whether the right materials and the quantity, as spelt in the contract, were used. To us at The Chronicle, the period, where people see government contracts as avenue to enrich themselves, should be a thing of the past.
As a developing country, we are faced with enormous challenges, and should therefore, utilise the little resources at our disposal in a proper way that would benefit the masses. The Accra-Tema motorway was completed almost five decades ago, but it is still in use, because of the excellent manner the contract was executed. This is what we expect our latter day contractors to emulate.